The farmers’ grievances stemmed from new EU environmental standards for the development of the agriculture sector, notably their perceived impact on production costs and competitiveness. Of particular concern were new regulations to reduce the use of pesticides in EU countries by 50 per cent by 2030, the use of fertilisers by at least 20 per cent

countries found that 52 per cent of respondents considered the fight against climate change a priority However, the cost of living was the greatest concern for citizens across the EU27 in 2023. Despite the EU’s progress in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction, people in many countries see these efforts as adding to their alre

The populist argument frames the European Green Deal as an ideologically (“green for the sake of green”) motivated set of measures, invented in Brussels, and disconnected from the economic and social realities in member states. But there remains broad public support for the EU’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. And, in mos